Glee 2013 Chapter 5
by mudv213
Summary: It's time for Sectionals. Who will win, and who will lose? I do not own Glee or any of the songs or artists mentioned in this story. Reviews welcome.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Brittany had begun her campaign for Senior Class President against Scott Cooper, Parker Williamson, Tessa Harktan, and, to her surprise, Amanda Packard. As the students cast their ballots, Brittany found that she had a satisfyingly long line of supporters. She wanted to thank Alexander, but she couldn't see him. She looked over at Amanda, who unsurprisingly had a much longer line. With her being the head cheerleader, it only seemed natural. Scott, Parker, and Tessa all had their own lines of supporters, and every other student was putting their ballot into the boxes.

Coach Beiste was overseeing the proceedings and would be counting the ballots later, and had Principal Cooper sitting next to her. Mr. Schuester was also around, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy watching how close Beiste and Lawrence were getting. The more he could sway her, the easier it would be for him to manipulate her into thinking that some things were not worth keeping around, like the Glee Club.

Sue, Emma, and Roz were discussing wedding plans between Emma and Mr. Schuester, and most of the New Directions were waiting their turn to cast their votes. Gina and Dina were in the bustle, going towards Amanda's table. Tina, Artie, Blaine, Matt, Joe, Rory, and Sugar were all in Brittany's line, though she could not see any of the other newcomers, and Sam was still suspended.

As the voting process came to a close, the gym became less crowded, and Brittany still had a few supporters who wanted to talk to her. Emily and Hannah had cast their votes for her, while Brittany saw Xavier planning to vote for Amanda. Brittany's last supporter came up to her, and she felt as if she had seen him before.

"I heard that if you win, you'll put a stop to pedophilia?"

"That's right. The way this country's run, the number of creeps out there will just keep on increasing. Someone has to take a stand, and I'm the girl to do it."

"That's great. I'm sure you'll do a fine job. I had an unpleasant encounter with the Glee Club's former director, which caused me to lose focus and ultimately repeat my Sophomore year."

This did not go unheard by Mr. Schuester, and he turned around the face the guy.

"Hey, uh, your name wouldn't by any chance be Hank Saunders, would it?"

"Maybe, why?"

"Well, it's just that no one really knew what happened to you after you left the club, so I'm just surprised to see you here."

"Well, like I said, I had to repeat a year. Mr. Ryerson's act did a real number on me."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Hank. But listen, if you want to come back and help the New Directions out for Sectionals, that could be great."

"Thanks, but no thanks. There are too many bad memories in there. I'll show my support, though, help you guys with funding, and stuff like that. Sugar Motta and her dad can't keep footing the bill."

"That's just as fine. Hank, I wish you the best."

"Thanks, Mr. Schuester."

They shook hands, and Hank turned to Brittany.

"Brittany, you've got my vote. Please put it to good use."

Hank then left to cast his ballot, and they began cleaning the place up.

INTERLUDE

With Sectionals two days away, the New Directions were as ready as ever. They had no doubt that the Warblers had been hard at work, and had long since considered them to be the friendly enemy. Even with Sebastian at the helm, the Warblers were still the kinder competition. The Music Masters were an entirely new battlefield. The New Directions had stood dumbfounded after the Music Masters had performed "We Will Rock You", recognizing them as the best possible group they had ever seen. It would take everything they had to beat them.

Fortunately, the New Directions had gotten most of their strength back. Amanda and Xavier were back, and Sam had gotten his suspension lifted, allowing him to return. He was, however, still banned from Sectionals, so he assisted Hannah and Emily in creating the costumes. They had picked well-rounded songs, and they had been practicing their choreography to the point of exhaustion. This was especially problematic for Tina, who was experiencing an onslaught of pregnancy hormones, causing her to feel hungry, tired, and irritable. She had so far managed to keep everything a secret from the others, but they could tell that something was up. Brittany had been studying harder than ever for any upcoming tests, and the boys' first football game of the season was coming up.

As the New Directions headed home after rehearsals, Alexander approached Mr. Schuester.

"Mr. Schuester, can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure, what is it?"

"I'm concerned about Tina. She constantly looks like she's going to be sick and hasn't been keeping up with the others lately, even with vocals."

"Yeah, I've noticed that too. Do you think that something is wrong with her?"

"I have a strong feeling that she may be pregnant."

"You can tell that?"

"No, it's just a sense of it. I don't know for sure, but I'm still concerned for her well-being. I know that she has been given the honor of leading lady, but for now, maybe we can have a change of cast until we're sure that she's better?"

"Well, I can't just take her position as lead female vocalist away."

"I'm not saying that you have to demote her, sir. Just temporarily have someone fill in for her until she feels better."

Mr. Schuester thought for a moment, considering that Alexander may be right.

"Okay, I think we can do it. How about for the opening number, I pair you up with Emily, and we go from there?"

"Sounds good. Thank you."

Alexander then left, unaware that both Tina and Emily had heard the whole thing from behind the door.

"Did you hear that? You get to do the duet with him", said Tina, half-excitedly.

"Yeah, but that means taking away the lead from you, and I can't do that."

"You can do it for now. I'm pregnant, and they're right. If I can't keep up with him, I don't stand a chance up front."

"Tina, you've worked hard for this position."

"It's just the opening number. Don't worry, I'll be okay. I would much rather you get closer to him doing this than doing it any other way."

Emily smiled meekly and nodded, and they hugged it out.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

In the April Rhodes Civic Pavilion, Mr. Schuester watched as the seats filled up. He was glad to see Emma, Sue, and Coach Beiste in the audience, but was less than pleased to see Principal Cooper. He knew that it wasn't any of his business, but Mr. Schuester was certain that the longer Shannon stayed around Cooper, the more likely it was that trouble would be caused. His thoughts were interrupted by a far more pleasant sight: the alumni of the Glee Club had come by to see the competition. The current Glee Clubbers had already gone over to say hello, and Mr. Schuester was happy that they wouldn't miss this event for anything.

"Excuse me, Mr. Schuester?"

Mr. Schuester turned around to see a middle-aged man standing next to him.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Yeah, I work for the Show Choir Competition management, and they've asked me to tell you that your group has been chosen to go second."

"Okay, thank you. I'll let them know."

The man left, and Mr. Schuester instantly became worried. Rachel had not too long ago said that going first or third was the best chance they had, but going second was a bigger challenge. Nevertheless, he went over to the kids to inform them.

"Hey, guys, it looks like we're going second."

The kids exchanged looks, but Mr. Schuester was ready.

"Not to worry, because let's face it. We have exceptional talent, old and new, and we're not going to let anything stand in our way."

The kids agreed, though half-heartedly, and they took their seats for the competition to begin. The announcer introduced the judges, and they waited for the Warblers to go on stage.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

The New Directions watched with a mixture of worry and fascination as the Warblers came onto the stage and performed. They were once again led by Sebastian, who didn't bother looking at Blaine the entire time. The Warblers performed two Elvis Presley songs, "All Shook Up" and "Animal Instinct", and their performance received tumultuous applause.

The New Directions headed to their greenroom, waiting for the announcer to call them. They knew that they had the support of Sue, Emma, and Coach Beiste, as well as the former members, and they managed to gather enough courage to go out and perform. The greenroom indicated their time to go on, and everyone but Alexander and Emily headed to the doors leading to the back of the audience. Mr. Schuester took his place behind the curtains to view their progress, and they waited for the announcer to introduce them. Emily took this moment to try and talk to Alexander.

"Hey, um, Alexander?"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say, um…"

Alexander waited for her to finish, attempting and failing to maintain eye contact with her.

"I just wanted to say good luck to you."

"Thank you, good luck to you as well", he said, in a somewhat disappointed tone. Emily nodded and headed back to her spot, tripping over a rise in the ground and almost hitting her head. It didn't take long for her to realize that Alexander had caught her, and she turned just enough to look into his icy eyes. It was at that moment that the announcer introduced the New Directions, and Alexander helped Emily back into her position and went back to his spot. They shared a smile as the opening music to "Almost Paradise" from Footloose began playing, and they headed out of their respective doors, performing the duet all the way to the stage.

As they headed down the aisles towards the stage, they maintained eye contact, mostly in the heat of the moment, and neither could help but feel a connection stronger than they've ever felt between each other forming.

As their performance entered the third verse, the curtain raised to reveal the others, who helped them finish the song, earning them thunderous applause from the audience and the judges. Emily and Tina traded spots as the others arranged their positions, and they performed Tevin Campbell's "Eye To Eye", with Alexander, Tina, Sam, Artie, Amanda, Joe, Blaine, and Rory getting prominent parts in the performance. When they were done, the audience was on their feet, and the New Directions and the jazz band headed off the stage to rest up.

The announcer introduced the Music Masters, who were being fronted by Vance, and they performed "Do You Hear The People Sing" from Les Miserables, combining the first Act and the reprisal, which received a five-minute long standing ovation.

The judges were quick to enter their room to make up their minds. The New Directions were somewhat worried about the judges, who were Rod Remington, a film and music critic named Thomas Prackston, and a former Broadway critic named Barbara Unger. The New Directions were all huddled outside the judges' door, listening to every word they said.

"I'm just going to say it right now: I despise pop culture songs", said Prackston, "They think that because they are hip and happening right now that they outdo all the classics? Teens think that their music supersedes the music that gave birth to it? Uh-uh, that's a no in my book. Personally, I think the Warblers and Music Masters deserve a tie of first-place."

"I agree, but I like the energy that the New Directions gave out. They had a sort of passionate drive in their performance. Footloose is one of my favorite productions, and the two that sang the opening number had surprisingly good chemistry", said Unger.

"They did place first at last year's Nationals. I say they deserve another shot. But I do tend to agree with Mr. Prackston here. Their performance of 'Eye To Eye' was admirable but not praise-worthy. The Music Masters did a good job combining the First and Second Act performances of 'Do You Hear The People Sing?' and I do admire the Warblers' choice of Elvis Presley", said Remington.

"The Warblers were definitely a plus, but they lacked compassion, and I didn't get any indication that they understood Presley's messages in those songs. Their dancing was good, vocalizations superb, and I like that Sebastian kid. He's got real leadership abilities", said Unger.

"Which proves my point. The Warblers and the Music Masters both performed songs from legendary classics. Footloose is too recent, and Tevin Campbell is like the 90s version of Michael Jackson. God rest his soul, I don't think Jackson would have tolerated his image being spat upon", said Prackston.

"No argument there, but I do think that the New Directions deserve another shot. The Warblers were admirable, but they need to work some more", said Remington.

"Well, I know who I'm voting for, and I think it's pretty clear where you stand, Mr. Prackston", said Unger.

With that, the New Directions backed away from the door and headed back to their greenroom to wait to be called back. It didn't take more than an hour before the greenroom lit up, signaling their return. All three groups headed to the stage, where they saw the three judges and two first-place trophies on a table. This told them that the judges had arrived at a tie. Earl Daniels, the head of the Show Choir Committee, went to the front of the stage to announce the winners.

"Our fine judges have come to a tie for who gets first place, so there is no third place prize being given today. First, I would like to congratulate all three music groups for coming out here today and showing us what they've got, and having it all pay off."

The audience applauded, as did the New Directions, the Warblers, and the Music Masters.

"In second place, we have…"

Daniels opened the envelope, and the tension rose everywhere.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"The Dalton Academy Warblers!"

The Warblers cheered and clapped in appreciation as their trophy was presented to them. Sebastian shared a look with Blaine and left with the others.

"That means that our first place tie is between the Music Masters and the New Directions. Congratulations, everyone, you're all going to the Regionals!"

Each group was given a first-place trophy, and Mr. Schuester shook hands with the other director, Hal Folkman. Vance approached the New Directions with a small smirk on his face.

"Well, you've proven yourselves to be worthy opponents. See you in Delphos."

He walked back to his group, and the Music Masters headed back to Delphos. The New Directions took their first-place trophy back to the choir room, placing it proudly next to their other trophies.

"Guys, I am so very proud of you. You've earned this!" said Mr. Schuester happily, and the kids cheered excitedly. Sue, Emma, and Coach Beiste watched from the sidelines happily as they reveled in their success.

"Now, we have Regionals to worry about, and you can bet that the Music Masters are already hard at work, which means that we have to be as well. So, let's get started on music selection, and we'll work on choreography at a later time."

"Uh, Will, before you do that, the kids have prepared a little something for you", said Emma.

"Just a little something to thank you for keeping us all on the right path", said Alexander.

"We honestly can't do this stuff without you, Mr. Schue", said Artie.

"So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show", said Tina.

The kids dispersed across the room and seating area, and Mr. Schuester watched with joy as they, with help from the jazz band, performed the Rembrandts' "I'll Be There For You".

THIS IS THE END OF THIS STORY. SOME NEW STUFF WILL COME UP IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS. STAY TUNED FOR MORE.


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